Xiaoying traversed rough trails every day wearing flimsy plastic sandals, but now she has TOMS Shoes to wear to school.

YUNNAN PROVINCE, China – Though she’s only 11 years old, Xiaoying is already dreaming about graduating high school. But just getting there is half the battle.

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Xiaoying’s home is located high up in the mountains of China’s Yunnan Province. There, the jagged peaks create a breathtaking view, but the paths are rocky and steep, the terrain difficult to navigate.

Every day, she walks several miles to reach the rural school where she is enrolled—wearing only a pair of worn-out plastic sandals to protect her feet.

But thanks to a partnership between Operation Blessing and TOMS Shoes, Xiaoying’s walk to school won’t be so difficult anymore.

A team from Operation Blessing recently visited her school to distribute brand new shoes to each student.

Xiaoying gratefully exchanged her old, flimsy sandals for a pair of sturdy canvas shoes.

“Although it is just a pair of shoes,” said Anna Liu, OBI’s national director in China, “I trust that it is a hopeful start of something better for her.”

School children in rural China gather to show off their new TOMS Shoes.

Now, when Xiaoying heads to school every morning, she can walk the rough paths with confidence and hope. And thanks to OBI’s partnership with TOMS, this will be the first of many shoe distributions to help children like Xiaoying and her classmates as they grow.

“Caring is very simple,” Liu said, “a pair of shoes can make a child feel loved.”

Together, Operation Blessing China and TOMS Shoes distributed thousands of pairs of shoes to students in China throughout seven provinces.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Operation Blessing is helping to transform the futures of children like these by providing clean water, education assistance, nutritional feeding programs, medical care and more. Please make an online contribution toward OBI's orphan care programs today and help us continue to reach those in need.